Booting Up: This is Not a Sponsored Post, We Promise
Allen Stern, one of the Web’s original bloggers and founder of CenternetWorks, has died. Mr. Stern established himself early in the New York startup scene, shining a spotlight on tech companies when few others did. His sister posted the news on Mr. Stern’s Facebook account, but didn’t indiciate the cause of his death. [CNET]
Careful, your sponsored content is leaking: “Brands are everywhere, and brands have now leaked into what has been traditionally the editorial space.” [New York Times]
Why does Google pay Neal Mohan, its VP of display of advertising products, more than Carmelo Anthony? Because the visionary “predicted how brand advertising would fund the Internet.” [Business Insider]
In the United Kingdom, some lucky Facebook users are being charged up to £10 to send private messages to celebrities as part of a trial run. The scheme had a U.S. trial run in January when it cost $100 to message Mark Zuckerberg. [Guardian]
California already prohibits using your phone to text or call while driving. Recently, an appeals court ruled out using maps as well. Regulations against changing Spotify playlists are presumably next. [AllThingsD]
